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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Great Pretenders

Congratulations to "Martha L.", the winner in Kathleen's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

Hello lovers of Romantic Suspense!I’m thrilled to be here talking about my new book, Sins of Her Father, and hopefully making many new friends. So let’s begin with a question: is anyone out there a pretender? Are you pretending to love your dead-end job, like your nosy co-workers, enjoy those double-dates with your sister and her obnoxious boyfriend? Are you putting on a false face of contentment when you’d really like to scream in frustration? We all pretend to some degree at some time in our lives, so we all understand pretending causes tension.Faith, the heroine of my story, is no exception. She is horrified to discover she was conceived during a rape. Almost twenty-five years have passed since her biological father’s crime, but she is determined to finally bring him to justice. Disguised and using her cousin’s identity, Faith goes undercover pretending to be someone else.I had fun writing Faith, because I love to create characters who are pretenders. When a hero or heroine is living a false life, he or she can never relax. They must be aware of every word and action. An offhand remark could put their life in danger. One wrong move could destroy their plans. They live with constant tension and must be quick to adapt to challenges. In the case of the heroine of Sins of Her Father, Faith isn’t trained in law enforcement or investigations and is unskilled in the methods of deceit. She’s an everyday person and her inexperience makes her task more difficult.Pretender stories create wonderful conflicts, especially when a love interest enters the picture. Even in moments of passion, they must remain vigilant. In Faith’s case, she has to wonder: is Kent attracted to me or the person I’m pretending to be? What will he think of me when he learns I’m an imposter?In Sins of Her Father, the tension is doubled. Both the hero and heroine are hiding their true identities. The web of deceit they weave threatens to destroy their chance for true love. This may seem like the torture, but I wanted them to be tested so they could grow. I also wanted their love to be tested and to show that it could survive. Pretenders are exaggerated versions of all of us. Our true soul mate is the lover who can see beneath our exterior and inside the armor that protects us from the world. Whether that exterior is a false identity we assume to catch an evil rapist or the bravado we exhibit our first day at a new job, we all need someone who knows and loves us for who we really are. We want to stop pretending and be ourselves. And in the end of a story about pretenders, the characters can do just that. Excerpt:She rolled her carry-on two feet forward and noticed a middle-aged man obviously staring at her chest. She angled her back toward him, and her cheeks heated in mortification.Why had she ever agreed to dress as Josie? She stole a quick glance back at the man to see if he’d looked away. A smirk twisted his lips. His prying eyes seemed to be mentally undressing her, violating her privacy. A chill crawled across the back of her neck. Did her father give women the creeps too?Disgust flared in her chest. The creeps of the world shouldn’t be allowed to win.Be Josie. React like Josie would react.Faith straightened her spine and glared at the man until his eyes skittered to her left.A tiny thrill of victory tickled her soul, and she turned her attention back to the line. She was next. The clerk met her gaze, smiled, and nodded.She stepped toward the registration desk. Once she signed Josie’s name, the die would be cast. She would start the lies and deceit.“May I help you?”Faith squared her shoulders. “Yes, I’m Josie Ashland. I have a reservation.”

SINS OF HER FATHERFaith Rochambeau is horrified to learn she was conceived during a rape. She’s determined to make her biological father, Victor Telemann, pay for his crimes. Using her computer skills to dig into his life, she searches for the powerful man’s Achilles Heel and a way to extract retribution. She’ll do whatever it takes to get a conviction, even it if means infiltrating his Fortune 500 company. She fails to plan on falling in love with her father’s smooth-talking stepson, Kent Telemann, who suspects she is a corporate spy. Faith is drawn to Kent, even though she’s not sure she can trust him. If her heart is wrong, he can put her life in danger. Meanwhile, her father is playing a lethal game he’s determined to win.

Giveaway:Share your feelings about pretenders for a chance to win a digital copy of Sins of Her Father

About Kathleen:Kathleen Mix is a multi-published author of romance and romantic suspense.Years ago, she escaped the structured life of a computer nerd and database administrator and moved aboard her sailboat with her husband and a reluctant dog. They sailed south to the Caribbean, and since she was sailing under starlit skies and walking on the world’s most beautiful white-sand beaches, her thoughts soon turned to romance. She started writing fiction, and as they say, the rest is history. Connect with Kathleen at http://www.kathleenmix.comTwitter: @kathleenmixFacebook: www.facebook.com/kathleenmixbooks

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Sept. 17th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.

This book sounds so good! -- As for pretenders ... I think it's intriguing to see if someone can pull off a complex scheme in a book when they are pretending to be something they are not. Sometimes it works really well, and others it's a flop almost instantly. It's definitely exciting to be "IN" on the secret as it happens. :)

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A recipe that includes a dash of desperation, a smidgen of danger, a dollop of adventure and a healthy portion of passion. Sprinkle a happy ending on top and you have the perfect meal. - JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE